MEPs reject ‘traffic-light’ food labels

The European Parliament today voted for the fat, salt and sugar content of all processed foods to be labelled on the front of packets. However, MEPs rejected plans to introduce ‘traffic-light’ labels that would have required high-fat, sugary or salty foods to carry red warning labels.

Renate Sommer, the German centre-right MEP who is responsible for steering this law through Parliament, said that she was satisfied with the outcome: “I am pleased that MEPs did not support traffic-light labelling, but I also feel that we can continue to improve the current proposal to better inform consumers.”

Sommer’s version of the law received 559 votes in favour, 54 against and 32 abstentions. As well as agreeing that the amount of fat, sugar and salt that should be displayed on the front of packs, MEPs voted to include protein, fibre and transfat levels elsewhere on the packaging.

The Parliament also agreed that meat, poultry, dairy products and all single ingredient products should bear country-of-origin labels, and that meat labels should also state where the animal was born, reared and slaughtered. Some foods, such as beef, honey and olive oil, already have country-of-origin labels under EU law.

The draft food labelling regulation has provoked intense lobbying from industry, health campaigners and consumer groups ever since the proposal was first published by the European Commission in January 2008.

The European craft and small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) employers’ association (UEAPME) said it had mixed feelings about today’s outcome. Ludger Fischer, UEAPME’s food policy advisor, welcomed the Parliament’s decision to exempt non pre-packed food, such as bread and pastries, from the legislation. But he described the Parliament’s decision to extend country-of-origin labels as “a slap in our face” that “will trigger enormous complications for small businesses changing ingredients very frequently”.

Monique Goyens, director-general of the European Consumers’ Organisation (BEUC), criticised those who voted against traffic-light proposals, after attempts by some Socialists, Greens and MEPs from the European United Left/ Nordic Green Left group to include them were rejected by a clear majority. “One wonders how we are to convince lawmakers that the fight against obesity and the battle to improve public health needs to start with action today, not tomorrow. There is no doubt that today’s vote is a very, very serious setback,” said Goyens.

After months of sometimes bitter arguments, the Parliament does not expect a quick agreement on the law. Even once it is adopted, food companies will have three years before the new rules come into force.